Brock University will hire a sexual violence response co-ordinator and create a task force to review all policies and procedures dealing with sexual harassment, sexual violence and unprofessional behaviour whether involving students or employees.

The changes were announced Friday in a letter addressed to the school community from Brock president Jack Lightstone.

In the past week students, faculty and support staff have raised concerns over the university’s handling of a recent sexual harassment complaint.

A former student came forward last week saying she was told by Brock to keep quiet about an internal investigation that determined a professor gave her alcohol and tried to force himself on her sexually late one night in his office.

In the letter, Lightstone said he has received much feedback from people on campus over the handling of the complaint.

He has met with organizers of a student protest held Tuesday, received numerous e-mails and reviewed letters calling for action from 74 faculty members and the union representing more than 200 administrative support staff.

He has heard from students, faculty and staff who have requested a “comprehensive, survivor-led strategy” be put in place by the school.

“I appreciate the time that people have taken to express their concerns and I am writing to tell you that the university will be taking steps to review and update the procedures that Brock follows when it deals with matters of sexual harassment and violence,” Lightstone wrote.

A “presidential task force” composed of students, staff, faculty and possibly members of the public will be formed to review all relevant policies and procedures, he said.

The group’s work will incorporate recommendations that come from the sexual violence prevention committee, which has been working since September to form a standalone policy dealing with sexual violence awareness, prevention and responses.

Details of the mandate, composition and reporting timelines for the new task force will be released before the end of April, Lightstone said in the letter.

Part of the group’s mission will be to review and harmonize all of Brock’s existing policies, protocols and procedures so they function together effectively and coherently, he said. The group will also identify issues of harmonization between new policies and the university’s various collective agreements.

After announcing the plan to hire a sexual violence response co-ordinator, Lightstone said in the letter the employee will work with Brock’s human rights and equity officer to provide a central point of contact for all complaints about sexual harassment and violence, and will be responsible for “providing education and support” to the Brock community.

The university will also “immediately review and enhance trauma counselling services as needed for all those who are victims of sexual harassment or assault,” the letter reads, adding updates on all initiatives will be provided in the coming weeks.

The student involved in the complaint, who has spoken with the Standard on condition of anonymity, called the commitments made by Lightstone a “great first step for Brock.”

“I think with the installation of a sexual violence response co-ordinator, the university may be better prepared to handle cases appropriately, so long as that co-ordinator’s first priority is the student,” she said by e-mail.

A group of students who organized the demonstration at Brock earlier this week met with Lightstone Thursday to again outline actions they wanted to see taken by administration.

Among the requests was the hiring of a sexual violence response co-ordinator and sexual violence-specific counsellor; the requiring of sexual violence prevention and bystander intervention training for administration, campus security, the student union and Graduate Students Association; and immediate availability of trauma counselling services on campus specific to sexual violence until a counsellor is hired.

Carissa Taylor, one of four students in attendance at the meeting, said her group feels progress is being made and is pleased with the commitments contained within Lightstone’s letter.

The hiring of a response co-ordinator is key to moving forward, Taylor said, adding it’s important there be a central person on campus whom people can report to and rely on as a resource and advocate.

It was also expressed at the meeting that some students need help immediately, she said.

“This whole process has created a situation where a lot of people feel traumatized. It’s bringing up things that have happened to them in the past, and we need someone on campus to deal with the immediate issues that are associated with that.”

While the initial commitments are “good steps,” Taylor said, there are still requests there has been no movement on that the group intends to “keep pushing on.”

Those include the immediate resignation of the professor involved in the recently publicized complaint, as well as the administrator responsible for handling the case, she said.

Her group will gather Thursday to discuss its next steps.

The hiring of a response co-ordinator was also a key commitment for faculty member Margot Francis, chairwoman of the education working group of the sexual violence prevention committee.

“Nearly one in five women will be assaulted during their university years,” said Francis, an associate professor of women’s and gender studies, in an e-mailed statement.

“Given this, it is critical that the university make a significant commitment to challenging popular ‘rape culture’ assumptions where victims of sexual assault are frequently blamed for violence perpetrated against them.”

The task force, she said, will provide an “umbrella group to ensure that new human rights policies deal with sexual and gender violence and racial climate at Brock.”

“As the most vulnerable students at Brock face a variety of intersecting challenges, from sexual and gender violence to racist harassment to mental and physical health challenges, it is important to ensure that new policies address all of these issues, and understand how they intersect in everyday experience.”

Francis said students, staff and faculty will need to be involved to ensure each step, including hiring, policy development and education, is “survivor-led and accountable to those most affected.”